Rotary engine.



e.. F. LBIGBP.. ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 27, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Mina/,gera

yGf. P. LBIGER. ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 27, 1911.

Patented Apr. 16,1912.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0.. WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE F. LEIGER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT yAND MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO CHICAGO OCTAGON ROTARY ENGINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led January 27, 1911.

Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

Serial No. 604,991.

T0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE F. LEIGER, of Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to rotary engines of the type shown in Letters Patent of the United States granted to me on December 6, 1910, N o. 977,888, in which the cylinders themselves rotate, the crank to which the connecting rods are attached being rotatably mounted and adapted-to be shifted from one side to the other of the axis about which the cylinders are revolved to cause the engine to run in either direction as desired.

It is one of the objects of this invention to provide means for shifting the cra-nk from' one side to the other, preferably through the medium of the fluid pressure by which the engine itself is operated.

Another object of this invention is to iinprove the valve lmechanism of the engine of the patent mentioned. In that engine, the collar 48 is screw-threaded on the shaft 16 (see Figure 3 of the patent) whereby it may be adjusted longitudinally of the shaft to tighten the valve 43 properly against the end of the hub 27. The pressure toward the left in that figure upon the valve 43 is very great, with the result that the friction between the collar 48 and the valve 43 is considerable. By my improvements I provide a construction which entirely avoids this friction and therefore secures better results.v

The'ineans by which I have accomplished these objects are illustrated in the drawings and are hereinafter specically described.

That which I believe to be new is set forth in the claims.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a top or plan view of my improved engine, broken away at one end. Fig. 2 is an end view, partly in section, as seen from the left in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the several figures ofv the drawings,-10 indicates a suitable base mounted on which are the standards 11-12, in the upper ends of which are journaled the shaft 13 and the spindle 14, respectively, which are telescopically joined at their inner ends.

15 indicates a hub journaled on the spintighten the valve dle 14, and 16 indicates a hub keyed on the shaft 13, upon each of which hubs are mounted four cylinders 17, with the pistons of which are connected piston-rods 18. Upon the outer ends'of the piston-rods 18 are fixed cross-heads 19, upon the central points of two of which are journaled the outer ends of the connecting rods 20, t-he inner ends of which are journaled upon the horizontal portion of the crank 21 which in the construction shown is formed integral with the spindle 14.

22 indicates bars rigidly connecting the oppositely-disposed cross-heads 19.

23 indicates bars rigidly connecting each of the four cylinders on one hub with the oppositely-disposed cylinder on the other hub.

24 indicates an arch rigidly connecting the upper ends of the standards 11-12, being broken away in two places in Fig. 1 to show better the construction of the engine.

Inasrnuch as the construction so far described is the same as that shown in the patent above referred to,-No. 977,888,-it is believed that it is unnecessary to describe it in further det-ail herein, since these parts form of themselves no part of my present invention.

25-26 indicate the valves corresponding to the valves 43-44 of the construction of said Patent No. 977,888, the arrangement of the passages and the operation of the de- `vices being the same in this application as in the patent.

27 indicates arms secured. to the standards 11-12, projecting into suitable sockets in the valves 25*26 and thus holding said valves against turning with the hubs 15-16. Each of the valves 25-26 is formed with a sleeve 28 which extends toward and almost into contact with the adjacent standard.

29 indicates a collar screw-threaded o-nto the end of the sleeve 28 and adapted to be adjusted outward toward the standard to properly against the hub 15 or 16.

Since both the valves 25 and 26 and the standards 11-12 are stationary, there is no friction between any of the parts and the friction encountered in the construction of the patent between the valve and the retaining collar is entirely avoided.

30 indicates a pipe connecting the valves 25-26 with any suitable source of steam,

. air, or other suitable fluid under pressure.

31 indicates a valve interposed in said pipe for the purpose of regulating the admission of steam to the engine. I

Coming now to the means for reversing the direction of rotation of the engine by means of shifting the crank 21 from one side to the other of the spindle 14, as described in the patent above referred to, 32-33 indicate two cylinders suitably located on the base 10 underneath the end of the spindle 14. 34-35 indicate pistons in said cylinders, provided with piston-rods 36-37, the upper ends of which are provided with rackbars 38-39 bearing -on opposite sides of a pinion 40 keyed on the end of the spindle 14.

41-42 indicate pipes communicating with the cylinders 32-33 below the pistons there- 1n.

43-44 indicate stop and waste cocks con-v necting the pipes 41-42, respectively, with a pipe which in turn leads to any suitable source of steam, air, or other fluid under pressure,-preferably leading to the same source as does the pipe 30.

With the crank in the position shown in the figures, and with the valve 31 open, the engine will be rotating in the manner described in my Patent No. 977,888. The valve 44 will of course be kept open, permitting the steam to maintain in its uppermost position the piston 35. The valve 43 remains closed, shutting olf the steam from the cylinder 32 and permitting free communication between that cylinder and the atmosphere.

`Whenr it is desired to reverse the direction of rotation of the engine, the valve43 is to be opened to permit the steam to enter the cylinder 32. The valve 44 is then closed, permitting the steam to escape from the cylinder 33, thus leaving the piston 34 free to move upward, rotating the spindle 14 and shifting the crank 21 to the right in Fig. 2, whereupon the engine will rotate in the opposite direction, as described in the aforementioned patent. It is not believed to be necessary to describe in detail the manner of reversing the engine again to the original condition, as that will be understood readily from the above' description, the reversal being accomplished by steps on the opposite side of the machine similar to those just described.

It will be understood that the strokes of the pistons 34-35 are to be of such a length as to give the spindle 14 substantially half a complete rotation in order to bring the crank 21 in each instance to substantially a horizontal position, in the construction shown. It will also be understood that the cylinders 32--33 must be of such a size that the pistons 34-35 are capable of forcing the crank 21 from one side to the other against the effective force of the pistons in the cylinders 17 ,-unless of course the engine is first brought to a complete stop, when the crank can be reversed by the application of a very small force. On the other hand, it will be understood that if desired the valve 31 may be closed to shut cli' the steam from the cylinders 17 and the engine then reversed without waiting for it to come normally to a stop.

Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,- i

1. In a rotary engine, the combination of a spindle, a crank thereon adapted by a partial rotation of said spindle to-"be shifted from one side to the other of the aXis o-f revolution of the engine whereby the 'engine is adapted to be driven in either direction, a cylinder, a piston therein, connections between said piston and said spindle whereby a stroke of said piston serves to shift said crank, and means for supplying fluid under pressure to said cylinder.

2. In a rotary engine,-the combination of a spindle, a crank thereon adapted by a partial rotation of said spindle to be shifted from one side to the other ofthe axis of revolution of the engine whereby the engine is adapted to be driven in either direction, a pinion non-rotatably mounted on said spindle, two cylinders, a piston in each cylinder, rack-bars connected with said pistons and adapted to mesh with said pinion on opposite sides thereof, and means whereby either of said cylinders may be supplied with fluid under pressure.

3. In a rotary engine, the combination of a spindle, a crank thereon adapted by a partial rotation of said spindle to be shifted from one side to the other of the axis of revolution of the engine whereby the engine is adapted to be driven in either direction, a pinion non-rotatably mountedon said spindle, two cylinders, a piston in each cylinder, rack-bars connected with said pistons and adapted to mesh with said pinion on opposite sides thereof, two pipes each of which is adapted to connect one of said cylinders with a suitable supply of iuid under pressure, and a stop and waste cock interposed in each of said pipes.

' GEORGE F. LEIGER.

Witnesses:

ALBERT H. ADAMS,

MINNIE HUNTER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

